Red Light Warning Sign
by McDumbles
Summary: As David, Emma and Snow rescue Regina from Greg and Tamara, David realises that he has feelings that aren't exactly hate towards Regina. He has a sudden need to protect and take care of her, but how can he do this when he is married to Snow? Evil Charming. Takes place during Second Star To The Right
1. Chapter 1

David inched along the wall outside of the room, he could hear Mendel 's voice saying;_"now you're never going to hurt anyone, ever again."_

David barged into the room and fired at the machine Mendel was moving towards, rendering it useless. "Don't move!" He shouted. Mendel momentarily froze in shock before gaining some sense and trying to make a run for it. David was not about to let him get away after what he'd done and began to chase the other man until he heard Snow call out to him from behind.

"David!" He regretfully stopped, forcing himself not to continue going after that swine. Snow began to undo the straps that were restraining Regina; "we can't leave her. She'll die if we don't get her help."

David finally looked down at Regina whom he had yet to take a good look at. She looked awful. When he had first entered the room he was certain she had been at least semi-conscious, but now she was completely out. He had never seen her look so fragile. "We've got to get her to mother superior." He said, before speaking into the walkie-talkie to his daughter. "Emma you gotta block the exits,"

"Already on it," Emma responded. "You guys alright?"

"Ya we're fine, we found Regina. But Mendel, he's coming your way." David warned as he hurried to help Snow free Regina.

Once they had removed all of the clips and straps Snow checked Regina's pulse. "It's very weak, we have to hurry." She said.

"David reached down and lifted her off of the table, cradling her carefully. Instantly, he felt something he had never in a thousand years thought he would. Having her in his arms seemed to feel so right, as if he _wanted_ to protect her. He looked down at her somewhat bewilderedly. Her skin was clammy and the rims of her closed eyes were red, probably from crying. He felt a pang in his heart at the sight, wishing they had been able to get to her sooner, to have saved her from at least some of this pain.

"Are you good?" Snow asked, breaking him out of his daze.

"Ya, I've got her. Let's go."

When they reached his truck he paused outside of it. "Maybe we should have taken your car." He said to Snow as he realised how little room there was inside. Regina gave a soft moan from his arms. "Is she waking up?" He asked Snow because he could no longer see Regina's face at the angle she was at.

"It doesn't look like it." Snow checked, pushing Regina hair back from her face. Regina's eyes remained closed but her hand slowly moved onto David's arm, holding it weakly. Although her fingers felt like ice, he felt a warmth spread through him. It was if her touch was something he had been longing for all his life and he certainly didn't want it to end so soon.

"Maybe you should drive." He said to Snow. She nodded, thinking nothing of David's not wanting to let go of the Queen.

Snow held the passenger door open for David and he cautiously climbed into the truck. The awkward motions caused Regina to regain some awareness and her arm slowly slid around David's neck, subconsciously knowing that he was there to help her. Her head was resting against his shoulder and her cheek rubbed ever so slightly against his shirt. The gesture was tiny but it caused David to hold onto her more securely, wanting her to know that she was safe. Wanting her to know that he wouldn't let anyone else hurt her. Without thinking of who would see, David raised a hand to the side of her head and gently stroked her hair.

The other door slammed shut as Snow got into the drivers' seat. She stared with slightly narrowed eyes at the pair beside her, but under the circumstances decided not to comment. Regina had been through a lot and David was only trying to help. He was just being kind, he would act this way towards anyone in the same condition that Regina was in right now. It was who he was.

"Let's take her back to the apartment. I can ask Mother Superior to meet us there." Snow said as she started the truck.

"Good idea, that way we'll be able to look after her. Mendel is still on the loose and we shouldn't leave Regina alone until he's locked up. I don't want to risk him coming after her again." David looked back down at Regina who had lost all consciousness again. Why did he feel so protective of this woman all of a sudden? After all the things she had done over the years... He couldn't explain it to himself, but maybe it was because she was still family despite everything. Something inside him said that this was not the case and his feelings were more than that.

"Of course not." Snow said, "We need to keep her safe for Henry. He'd be devastated if we let her die."

Right. He was protecting Regina for Henry's sake, David assured himself. Henry was his grandson and he would hate to see him suffer. However, David realised that he was now resisting the urge to kiss the top of Regina's head and whisper consoling words to her. To tell her that he wouldn't leave her. But he couldn't do either of those things in front of his wife. He shouldn't even be thinking of doing them at all. So he urged himself to remain content merely holding Regina close. He was worrying that she might not make it back to the apartment. How much strength did she have left? He could feel her starting to warm up again and that put his mind at ease because that had to be a good sign, she just needed to hang on for a few more minutes and then she could be healed. But sometimes a few minutes could make all the difference in the world and that is what bothered him the most. They had to save her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

By the time they reached the apartment David was getting particularly anxious. Regina had not made any more sounds or movements since they had gotten into the truck and David was afraid that she might not wake up. Snow opened the door for him and he stepped carefully down from the truck. Mother Superior was already waiting for them outside the building and they went up as a group. When they entered their apartment David sadly realised that he was going to have to let go of Regina, and that was something he really didn't want to do. Unfortunately if he refused to put her down then Snow would become suspicious as to his reasoning. He himself had no idea where these new feelings for the Queen had come from, he just knew they were real and they were becoming stronger by the second.

"Quickly, put her over here." Mother Superior requested, gesturing towards his and Snow's bed.

David slowly placed her onto the bed and ignored the butterflies that formed in his stomach as he noted how beautiful she looked with her hair fanning out around her. Remembering how cold she had been before he had held her, he pulled a blanket up to her waist. He had to resist the impulse to place a kiss on her forehead; this felt instinctual, but he had to remind himself that it was an extremely bad idea, especially in present company. Instead he regretfully backed away to make room for Mother Superior. He watched nervously as she passed her wand over Regina. When he saw a warm glow spread throughout Regina's body and watched as the cuff that had been draining her of her magic disappeared, he inwardly sighed in relief but made sure to keep his face unreadable, the last thing he needed was to give himself away. Although he couldn't ignore what his emotions were telling him, he had a family with Snow to think about. Maybe sooner or later he would be able to put Regina off of his mind. In the meantime he would simply look after her as he would any other person who needed his help. At least, this was the reason he gave himself anyways.

When Regina woke up all he wanted to do was to take her into his arms once more and hold her tight. He couldn't bear seeing the pain in her eyes, and he wanted more than anything to tell her he was there for her, that he would take care of her, but he knew he could never let her know the way he felt about her.

* * *

_A/N: I'm not sure if this is any good, but I needed to write something after this week's episode. It's not exactly what I wanted but maybe I will write that too. This was mainly a means for me to de-stress today. :) _


	2. Chapter 2

David was now the only one left in the apartment with Regina. Emma had gone to pick up Henry and Snow had gone with her to comfort her after what had happened to Neal. David sat at the kitchen counter with his head in his hands, his elbows propped up against the surface in front of him. The only reason he wasn't sitting next to Regina was because he felt he needed to distance himself from her as much as possible. His mind kept telling him that these feelings he was having for her were wrong; he loved Snow. But his heart was telling him differently.

He couldn't help but glance at Regina's sleeping form for about the thousandth time. Her chest was rising and falling steadily and her head was leaning slightly towards the side. How could anyone who had just been tortured and almost killed still look so perfect? It's true her hair was a little messier and some of her make-up had worn off, but that just seemed to make her look even more beautiful to him. The fact that they had almost lost her that day kept flitting to the front of his mind. What if he had gotten there only a minute later, or even a few seconds? What would have happened?

David could hear a moaning coming from across the room, it was so soft that at first he thought he was imagining it. When Regina's head began to move slowly back and forth as she woke up David decided to go to her.

He sat down on the bed beside her as she stared at him confusedly through half-closed eyes.

"Hey," David smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?" She grumbled, starting to get up but then deciding against it. "You're still here. Why?"

"What do you mean why? Do you think we'd leave you on your own after what you went through?"

"But you... why are you being kind to me?"

David stared at her with a curious expression on his face. "Like I said before, you're family, and we don't abandon family."

Regina eyes flashed slightly as he said the words that were almost identical to the ones she herself had once spoken. "You've never seen me as family." She said skeptically.

"Honestly, for the longest time I hated you."

Regina shook her head, a grim smile across her lips.

"But your _Henry's_ mother. And if I tried to ignore in the past that you are a part of Snow's family, there is no denying it now."

Regina stared at him dubiously. Eyes narrowed at the man who had been her enemy for years.

"I know we've had our differences, but I mean it. I wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to you. For Henry's sake." He added.

Regina's eyes had softened a little even though she still looked skeptical.

"I mean it," David continued. "You're a part of this family now, and I'll protect my family with every ounce of my strength." He kept his words vague enough that his true meaning could be disguised and if need be, denied, but by the way he squeezed Regina's hand and from the look that shone in his eyes he tried to convey what he really wanted to say.

Regina stared down at her hand in his. While she was quite baffled, she seemed to recognise that his kindness was genuine. When her eyes flicked back up to his face he could tell she was touched by his words.

"Listen Regina, I'm sorry for what happened to you today. We should have been able to get to you sooner. I know how you must have felt because of how Snow reacted and..."

"What are you talking about?" Regina interrupted.

"I..."

_"Oh right," _David thought_, "she didn't know about the spell yet."_

"Well, when we couldn't find you we went to Gold for help. He used a spell on one of your tears and one of Snow's to connect the two of you so Snow could see and feel whatever you did."

_"_What?" Regina said sharply.

"We had to put a drop of the mixed tears into Snow's eye and... Regina it was awful. She said she had never been in so much pain, and I could tell by the way she reacted how bad it was."

Regina sighed and seemed to slump further into the pillows. She obviously didn't like it when people knew how vulnerable she could feel. However she looked far from angry and it was obvious that she was touched by their efforts to save her.

"You're a really strong woman Regina, there aren't many people who would have been able to survive that torture."

Regina flinched at the word.

"We almost lost you today," David continued. "but you kept fighting."

"Please spare me your pity." She muttered. But when Regina's eyes found his again there was a mixture of confusion and pain in hers. Red flags were raising, warning her not to trust him because he had absolutely no reason to suddenly want to help her and accept her as part of his family. But as she saw the genuine care in his crystal blue eyes she had no choice but to accept his words as the truth.

"You know Regina, you don't have to act so tough all the time. It's okay to show that you're hurting, it proves you're human just like the rest of us. You shouldn't bury your feelings and hide them from the rest of the world. I know you think it's better to show anger instead of any form of weakness, but I think it would be so much easier to just let people in rather than pushing the entire world away. And you know what else? I think it's best to start with family. We won't judge you as outsiders would. At least I know I won't. Not anymore, I promise."

Regina pushed herself into a sitting position with a little bit of difficulty. Her expression was unreadable and she seemed to be debating on how to answer him, but in the end she decided to change the subject.

"I saw you you know." She said quietly, her eyes were a little sad.

"Saw me?"

"I saw you rescue me." her expression turned slightly bitter, as if she was ashamed to admit she had needed saving in the first place. "From Greg and Tamara. I knew it was the end, I knew I was going to die, but then I saw you... and although I've never been particularly pleased to see you," She said with a grim smile, "I have to say I've never been more happy to see you in my entire life."

She averted her eyes, hating herself for admitting such a thing to him. He took her hand again while she blinked back the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered. "You don't have to be embarrassed by what happened. But I am happy I was able help."

He raised a hand to push a few strands of hair back from her face, and when he did he saw the angry burn mark on her temple, hate for the man that did this to her boiled up inside of David as he let the strands of hair fall back into place. He quickly checked her other injuries; there were no longer marks on her wrists from where the straps had been pulled too tight, but there remained burn marks visible on her skin.

Regina was still avoiding his gaze, and David slowly pulled her into an embrace. At first he was cautious because he expected her to push him away, but when she didn't protest he hugged her even deeper, knowing that she needed some comfort.

After a few somewhat awkward seconds Regina raised her arms and held on to him with what felt like all of her energy. It had seemed like such a long time since anyone had shown her any affection, and now that she was feeling cared for again she didn't want it to end.

All too soon the moment was torn apart, it was almost as if it had never happened. Both David and Regina could hear the voices approaching but neither of them wanted to let go. They ended up releasing each other at the very last possible moment and when Snow, Emma and Henry walked into the apartment none of them suspected a thing. Henry was the only one to witness David holding Regina, but all he saw was a family member comforting his mother after she had been hurt; he saw nothing wrong in it and he didn't mention it to anyone else.

David tried to act as normally as he could. He stood up to greet Snow and Emma while Henry ran to his mother who realised just how much she'd been longing to see him.

"Mom!"

"Henry..." Regina had started to get out of bed so she could greet him properly but the boy had already leapt into her arms. As she held her son tight she looked up at David who currently had his back to her. As if he had felt her gaze, he turned and gave her a smile. She responded with a small smile of her own, but then closed her eyes to cherish this moment of being reunited with the son she'd thought she would never get to see again.


End file.
